By Kang Seung-woo
Staff reporter
As the South Africa World Cup is just around the corner, South Korean football manager Huh Jung-moo is busy drawing up his final roster.
And so is the local industrial world, as companies have come up with a variety of marketing events linked to football's biggest international tournament.
A large-scale cheering campaign has been a never-fail chance for firms to promote themselves.
Hyundai Motors, an official sponsor for the World Cup, will launch street cheering events along with local governments and public corporations on a national scale.
The company's cheering campaign is authorized by FIFA, so it will use the official emblem, logo and mascot during the events.
Hyundai's affiliate Kia Motors, along with SK Telecom, another company that held many events during the past World Cups, has arranged a 160,000-kilometer nationwide road show with hopes for Korea's second-round berth.
Lotte Department Store and its branches plan to borrow their own multiplex theaters, Lotte Cinema, and invite supporters on the days South Korea plays matches.
The Red Devils will open the quadrennial contest with Greece at 8:30 p.m. on June 12 (KST), followed by a game with Argentina at 8:30 p.m. on June 17 and finally with Nigeria at 3:30 a.m. on June 23.
The department stores will present two tickets to customers, who make purchases of over 400,000 won ($359) on one day, between June 4 and 13, and a Zakumi doll, the official mascot for the 2010 event, to those who spend over 200,000 won.
Conglomerates have been engrossed in advertisements.
Samsung Electronics has taken pole position, as it put key players of the national squad ― Park Ji-sung, Lee Chung-yong and Park Chu-young ― in advertisements for its demand-growing item, 3D TV.
SK Telecom, which earned huge brand recognition after supporting street cheering campaigns during the past two World Cups, focuses on flashbacks, featuring the Red Devils, the official support group of the Korean team, while KT, the main rival to SK Telecom, goes with four members of the 2002 World Cup team, which reached the penultimate round.
Oil-refining GS Caltex also features Park Ji-sung in its publicity imitating his second round-clinching goal celebration in 2002.
Business is flexing its muscles to sell goods related with the competition.
GS25, a convenience store franchise, has released 10 different Park Ji-sung signature food products, such as sausages, triangle gimbap and bottled spring water that the Manchester United winger likes, according to its pitch.
In addition, it sells five kinds of beer from different World Cup-qualifying countries - Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Japan and the United States.
The fashion world expects the color red to blanket the whole nation again, as it has issued red shirts ahead of the World Cup.
Fila, a sportswear manufacturer, has produced a shirt depicting a tiger and the phrase "Go Korea" and Home Plus, a local retailer, has put FIFA-authorized T-shirts, together with accessories, bags and caps, on sale.
Global companies will go abroad to launch overseas marketing campaigns.
Samsung Electronics will set up events in the main host cities of South Africa and display its cellular phones and Hyundai Motors will organize a road show in all of the 32 countries that have advanced to the finals.
Hyundai and Kia also offer five-lingual microsites on the World Cup on their Web sites.